Hungary & Italy | Heritage site residencies 2026

MON-ART – The Monasteries of Art (a project that explores how heritage sites can be reactivated as spaces for cultural production and social regeneration), is calling for applications from artists for two residencies: one at Tihany Abbey (Hungary) and another at Valserena Abbey, Parma (Italy), for an average of 3–6 months.

Tihany Abbey

The residency at Tihany Abbey, for three to six months between 1 August 2026 and 30 April 2027, focuses on hosting artists whose work responds to the Benedictine rhythm of life, the cultural–spiritual heritage of Tihany Abbey, in the specific landscape of the Balaton Uplands, Hungary, developing site-sensitive works that activate dialogue between monastic tradition, contemporary culture, and the seasonal flow of visitors.

Forms of interaction can include co-creative workshops in museum or education rooms, small-scale making sessions, and collective mappings of memories and routes. Participatory art and storytelling are also potential ways of interaction. Collective actions in outdoor areas that connect spiritual exercises, ecological care, and artistic reflection, can act as further options for interaction.

Support includes 1,000 EUR per month, covering all transport and accommodation expenses and as recognition for the work carried out. Travel, accommodation and production costs are covered by the host organisation.

Deadline: 3 May 2026

Valserena Abbey

The residency (for 6 months between 1 October 2026 and 1 June 2027) focuses on the relationship between cultural heritage, public art, and sustainability, reinterpreting monasteries as centres of knowledge, community, and resilience. Abbazia di Valserena, a former Cistercian monastery now hosting the Centre for Communication Studies and Archives (CSAC), provides a context where historical memory and contemporary artistic practices intersect.

The residency supports the development of artistic interventions rooted in public and participatory art, research on the local territory, and collaboration with communities. Artists are invited to engage with the San Leonardo neighbourhood and contribute to processes of cultural regeneration, activating dialogue between heritage, contemporary art, and local stakeholders.

Support includes a 6,000 EUR lump sum, covering all transport and accommodation expenses and as recognition for the work carried out. Workspace and production costs (approximately 1,000 EUR) will be provided.

Deadline: 15 May 2026